EDITOR'S NOTE: A digitized photo of Spaur may be obtained by contacting Amy Rafferty, (530) 752-9836, aerafferty@ucdavis.edu. Rita Spaur, a lieutenant with the UC Davis Police Department since 1994, will become the third highest-ranking member of the department when she is promoted to the rank of captain in a campus ceremony Friday, Sept. 10. She will continue to be the highest-ranking woman in the history of the department. Assuming responsibility for the department's patrol division at the Davis campus and at the UC Davis Medical Center, Spaur will command three patrol lieutenants, eight sergeants and 34 uniformed officers as well as the Medical Center's 10 unarmed security officers and their supervisor. She is one of two captains reporting to the chief. "Rita Spaur is a proven leader whose performance has been consistently outstanding," Police Chief Calvin Handy said in announcing her promotion. "She is deserving of the promotion." Participating in the hiring process, Handy added, were representatives from seven Northern California police departments, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, and UC Davis. Spaur joined the department as a patrol lieutenant and since 1997 has been based at the Medical Center. Now with 23 years experience in law enforcement, she also has served with the police departments of UC Santa Barbara and the University of Northern Colorado, and with the Boulder County Sheriff. The promotion ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. in the Training Room of the Fire and Police Building.